


Looking Forward

by harperhug



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, internalized ableism, mentions of Isaiah Bradley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 13:45:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6568618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harperhug/pseuds/harperhug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fic set after at the end of Civil War, which I still haven't seen, when our boys live on Clint's farm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Italics is Natasha.

\- _Hey, Cap, long time no see._

\- Romanoff.

-  _Ouch, after all these years, you still haven’t grown any manners. Laura feeds that mouth?_

\- I help out with the fields more now that Clint’s…you know.

\- _Oh, so it’s a blackmail thing._

\- What do you want?

\- _You know, Tony’s still dying for a chance to-_

\- Tell him no.

\- …

\- Sorry, that was rude. I…I haven’t forgotten our old Avengers days. But I gave up that shield for a good reason.

\- _Is he doing any better now?_

\- Not really. There are days where he’ll recognize me, and I always thinking that maybe _this time_ it’ll take, but in the morning…

\- _It’s not your fault, Cap._

\- Stop calling me that!

\- _You know, Sam would give the shield back in a second if you came back._

\- I’m not coming back until-

- _I know. He needs you._

\- He needs _someone_. I just happen to be the only sucker who volunteered to take care of him when he woke up.

\- _Not the only one._

\- Right, sorry. I’ve been a dick. It’s just…I owe him, you know, for all those years he spent taking care of me. I mean, he only got shot because he was protecting me. Do you…do you want to see him?

\- _Is he up for visitors?_

\- Heh, I’m not sure, depends on whether he’s left the bathroom yet or not.

\- _What’s that supposed to mean?_

\- …he can talk.

\- _WHAT?!_

-  There was a documentary on the Commandos on TV last night.

\- _And he recognized them?_

\- Yeah, he recognized all of them. Especially himself. Started throwing the furniture around and hitting his head, calling himself all kinds of names…. When I tried to stop him, he pushed me off and locked himself up in his room. I spent all night listening to him cry himself to sleep. It was almost like old times, ‘cept we’re both about a hundred pounds heavier than we should be.

\- _So he’s starting to remember!_

\- Yeah, enough to know that he’s never going to be the man he wants to be again.

\- _The serum-_

\- Hasn’t healed his brain so far. As much as it can be healed, anyway, the idiot.

\- _He might recover faster if you guys moved back to a familiar place._

\- Nat, we’ve lived here for more than twice as long as he was ever an Avenger, and that’s not including the time I spent wearing that suit. If there’s any place that’s familiar, it’s this cabin. Now, one more time, why are you here, really?

\- _…Sam wants to retire to marry Maria._

\- Good for- oh, fuck no!

\- _Just listen to me!_

\- **Natasha?**

\- Fuck. What are you doing out, Steve?

\- **Don’t hurt Bucky.**

\- _I won’t._

\- **No, you’re loud. He doesn’t like loud sounds. He doesn’t like people yelling at him. You can’t yell at him.**

\- _…Steve…_

\- Steve, you don’t need to stand between us, punk. She’s not going to hurt me.

\- **Are you sure?**

\- Yes.

\- **You don’t sound sure.**

\- I’m sure, punk. I’m just relieved you came out, finally. Was starting to think you drowned in the bathtub.

\- **I’m not…I’m not…I’m not…I’m not small anymore.**

\- no, no you’re not.

\- _Here, Steve. I got you some scented paints  
_

- **Thanks Natasha!**

-  _You’re welcome. Don’t be afraid of visitors, okay?_

\- **I’m not afraid!**

\- No, that’s my job, now go back inside!

\- _He can talk and run now.  
_

\- Yeah.

\- _You’re good for him._

\- I’m the opposite of good for him.

\- _Really? You gave up your Avengers life for him the minute he woke up from his coma._

\- He gave up his for me. It’s only fair.

\- _Nothing that happened to either of you was fair._

\- No, I should have been faster. I was trained to notice this, to fight.

\- _He used to say the same thing about you, you know._

\- Yeah, well, everything the sun sees is only bright because they’re reflecting it.

\- _Poetic, Barnes. I’ll see you around._

\- Where are you going?

\- _I know a lost cause when I see one._

\- He’s getting better. Pretty sure by the start of the new year he’ll be able to-

\- _I meant I should pay Isaiah Bradley a visit._

\- Oh. Do I know him?

\- _Not yet.  
_

\- …I look forward to it.

\- _I’m sure you do. Goodbye, Bucky._

\- No. No goodbyes, Nat. We’ll see each other again.

\- _I’ll hold you to that. No more hiding._

\- **Bucky and I don’t hide.**

\- Not any more. But we have to go inside now before it gets cold. Come on, put on that Peggy Carter movie you like. We’re going to have company tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> This was mostly an experiment to see if I could write a coherent fic using only dialogue. Please tell me where I was unsuccessful (or successful) in the comments.


End file.
